Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Wow doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun. I thought I would stay on the same track as my last blog. Not because I don’t have other things to talk about, as I get paid to talk. I wanted to stay on the same subject because I know the important growth. They say if we are not growing we are dying……….Well I’m for living.

My focus on this blog is the people you surround yourself with. When we go into business we have the people in our life that support us every step of the way and those who don’t. I call the ones who don’t DREAM STEALERS. They are the ones who say you can’t do it or you’re not good enough. The problem is that sometimes these people are family and you are stuck with them. So you have to then make a choice of how much time you choose to spend with them. Sometimes we need to spring clean friend as they are uncomfortable with our dreams and we feel we can not pursue our dreams with them around. Our circle of influence is exactly that an influence and it need to be a positive one.

The people you do want to be around and even have as mentors are the people who are more successful than you, the people that will challenge you to do better and be better at what ever it is you want to achieve. If we are not surrounding ourselves with like minded people how do we expect to grow? I know it is not easy to get to all those seminars and workshops, sometimes due to lack of time and sometimes its cost. This is why University in the car is so beneficial. Even if you don’t have to travel far you can still benefit from listening to the successful people on your trip to work, or your next appointment. Here is where I listen to some of my mentors:

oIn the car

oIn the bathroom

oWaiting for my appointment at some-one else’s office

oAt the airport

oIn the bedroom when getting ready

oCooking dinner when the kids aren’t around

Think about all the opportunities you have during the day when your hands may be busy but your head is free. When you feel flat or even a bit defeated that’s when you need to listen to good stuff or meet up with a mentor. If you don’t have any Audio to listen to, find someone who does and ask if you can borrow it.

I have many mentors for various reasons. Some are Business mentors and some are spiritual mentors and others and personal mentors. If you have someone in your circle of influence that you continuously learn from, ask them to be your mentor. You could catch up for a coffee or even lunch once a month. This is your opportunity to put your cards on the table and be accountable for your vision and action plan.

I also want to take this opportunity to tell you about a book I recently read called The Four Agreements (Author RUIZ). It is brilliant and I recommend this to everyone.

The Autonomy of making decisions in my own business is one of the reasons for being here. What does it mean to be Autonomous? Well the Oxford Dictionary says……….

“Self government, Personal freedom”

I fit well with personal freedom. As a mother of 4, I love to have the flexibility to be able to take the day off to look after a sick child or go to the school assembly where my daughter may be performing or even take off to the coast early afternoon on a Friday. (This one needs to happen more often)

I make decisions with certain questions in the forefront of my thinking.

Is this the best decision for the organisation?

Does this fit in with my values?

Am I passionate about this?

If I make this decision how will this affect the team?

As a business owner we are also in business not just for the passion, also to make money and keep our business flourishing, then to grow the business.

Recently I have made a number of decisions that at times conflict with a number of the question I ask myself. However when the decision was made and final the feeling of exhilaration certainly overshadowed the minor disadvantages.

So ask yourself why am I in Business? This may bring you back to the core reasons for being in business and relight the spark that you may have started with a year ago or even 10 years ago.

Being in business is filled with many uncertainties so why is this any different?

The life of the Business owner is a very exciting one, it has it moments of hardships but above all it has more moments of achievement, prosperity and triumph.

We get to make the rules, we get to create the opportunities and we also have to take on the task of keeping motivated. One of the greatest opportunities I have been blessed with is meeting other like minded people. I have a mission to stay away from Dream Stealers, you know those they tell you it’s not possible or it won’t work or you’re not smart enough. I am here to tell you if you have a big enough WHY the how will come.

So here are some tips I use to stay motivated.

oI find all the free seminars and go to them first.…there are many of them happening all the time.

oI set clear goals with time frames attached to keep you accountable

oI share my vision and desire for the ultimate success of my Business and my personal life (what ever success means to you) Its amazing what happens when you say them out loud. Some one might hear you.

oDevelop new and exciting ideas and challenges to take my Business to the next level.

oNetwork…someone once said go to the opening of an envelope

oMaking customer service a priority

oSupport staff and establish their goals

oUniversity in the car. I take every opportunity to learn so I do it on the road as well

As a Woman/Mother and Business owner I am very proud to say that I look forward to what the year and the economic climate has to offer and I will be looking for ways to ensure my company continues it’s growth and staff development.

I am always inspired to become better and learn from my mistakes and let me tell you I made my fair share of them. However I also like making mistakes because it gives me an opportunity to learn and grow.

A dear friend once asked me. “Why put energy into something g that may never happen” to keep this in perspective I will explain. How often do we worry about something that may never happen? Putting energy into the unknown rather than the known is not a worthwhile thing to do. If I am going to worry about something because I fear it may happen well I may as well give up now because it is going to happen.

About Me

I have been involved in Vocational Education and Training including Business studies, Training &
Assessment and Information Technology training for the past 14 years. I am very
passionate about formal education and Personal and professional development and have continued my
growth in this area for over 18 years. My professional development started when
I was introduced to my greatest mentor Jim Rohn and his amazing philosophies
for life.

Working in the Vocational Education and Training (VET)
sector for the past 14 years has provided me and my team with great experiences
and the ability to develop strong foundations within our Registered Training
Organisation.

Prior to this amazing Journey and forever more I
am a Mother of 4 children (Samantha, Bradlee, Stephanie and Nicole) and am blessed with 9 Grandchildren.

What are you reading? Does it empower and inspire you? I do understand their may be a reason to read the newspaper and listen t...

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